The Divide
by fifteenandpout
Summary: [AU] [Zombies] "Well, Haruhi, are you ready for a real adventure?" She frowned, choosing not to reply. This was certainly going to be an adventure.
1. chapter i

_Ouran High School Host Club/Zombieland Crossover_

Her fingers traced a light pattern through the mist that had collected on the bathroom window. Brown eyes took in the landscape on the other side of the glass, the ever-present caution stirring deep within them. There hadn't been a trace of zombies since she'd snuck into the abandoned house last night. It was a nice little cookie-cutter home in the suburbs, and to top it all off, there was still running water moving through the pipes.

Haruhi glanced behind her before turning back to the window. It was dangerous to stay rooted to one spot for too long without checking. Even so, zombies usually made quite a bit of noise, as they were about as intelligent as a box of rocks. The girl merely watched a lazy breeze nudge the branches of a tree outside before turning from the foggy window for good. She didn't have very long before she'd be moving out; it was pointless to get attached.

Shrugging off her towel and slipping on the freshly-washed jeans and t-shirts she'd been wearing for the past week or so, Haruhi pulled the damp towel over her hair and shook it dry. It was so much easier to manage since she cut it short. Also, it decreased her worries about someone, or more likely, _something_, slipping up behind her and grabbing a hold of her by her long hair. The mere thought of it sent a shiver down her spine, and the teenager quickly pushed the idea out of her mind as she kicked the towel back into the bathroom and marched dutifully out of the bedroom.

She crept down the stairs, still hesitant about moving too fast lest she draw attention to herself if a zombie happened to be lurking in the shadows. There were two hallways that spouted off the foyer – one led to the kitchen and adjacent dining area while the other was still a mystery. The light bulb had burnt out, and not having any luck finding replacement batteries, Haruhi had decided it was more practical to save the life of her flashlight than to go exploring.

"Nobody better be in here."

Pressed against the wall, Haruhi glanced around the corner and into the kitchen with narrowed eyes. She wanted breakfast, not to _become_ breakfast. She'd rather have her brains, and body in general, intact and all under her control, _thank you very much_.

Haruhi sucked in a deep breath and leapt into the middle of the doorway, her fingers pointed in the shape of a gun. It was nothing more than a scare tactic, obviously, as she currently had no weapon to her name unless you counted the flashlight in her back pocket.

Sighing in relief, the brunette shuffled across the kitchen and began pulling the cupboards opening, shooing the occasional mouse deeper into the shadowy corners. Swiping a box of granola bars, Haruhi messed with the cardboard before she finally tore a hole in the side, a satisfied smile lighting her face as she viewed the treasure within.

_Breakfast_.

Her stomach seemed to like the idea of that, and the girl could hardly be one to argue.

Peeling the wrapper off one and stuffing half of the bar into her mouth, Haruhi tiptoed over to the large bay window on the east side of the kitchen. The road was visible across a slightly unkempt yard. A few puddles lingered under the cover of the growing grass from last night's rain. This could prove to be a good thing or a bad thing – maybe even a mix of the two. While Haruhi's tracks would be obvious on the aging pavement, she wasn't sure if the zombies were actually capable of deciphering what that meant about her whereabouts. To her advantage, she could see where other things had been, assuming they were dumb enough (or just downright unfortunate) to leave muddy tracks in their wake. Haruhi could only hope for the latter.

Just as she was about to turn back to close the cupboard, her peripheral vision detected the blurs of movement outside the window. Haruhi's fight-or-flight instincts kicked in immediately, but she had to suppress them in order to observe her surroundings first before she made a decision.

Haruhi hugged the cardboard box containing her breakfast to her chest as she knelt down below the window sill. Slowly, the brunette raised her head in the hopes of catching a glimpse of what was transpiring on the other side of the glass. To the untrained eye, all looked fine. The sight simply resembled a normal spring day, but to Haruhi, there was something off. _If I could just put a finger on it.._

"Those look like new shoes, though.." Haruhi muttered to herself thoughtfully. There were shoes peeking out from the bottom of a car, but they weren't just sitting there without an owner – someone was definitely wearing them.

There was a muffled groan and the teenage girl watched as a zombie came into view. Though slow on a normal basis, Haruhi had been unlucky enough to come in contact with the few living dead that possessed the ability to run for a short period of time. And when they ran, they booked it.

The decaying man, or so she assumed it had been a man judging by his frayed clothing, seemed to have stopped, sniffing the air. _With what?_ Haruhi thought to herself, a mirthless smile on her lips. _He doesn't even _have _a nose_. Rolling her eyes as well, the girl turned her attention back to the shoes beneath the car. The automobile itself provided little interest to her – four doors, red, black interior – but she yearned to know who the feet belonged to. _It's got to be a human. It's got to be someone like me._

A gunshot rang through the air and Haruhi ducked, shrieking in surprise. When she mustered up the courage to look out the window once more, she saw that the zombie was lying in a puddle of black, its lifeless fingers twitching every few seconds.

"Kyouya-senpai, was that a girl?"

Holding her breath, Haruhi quickly slipped out of view, her back pressed against the wall. Her lungs were suddenly on fire and her throat burned as she continued to fight against having to breath, black dots swarming in front of her vision. The last time she'd witnessed two people meeting – as she conveniently hid up a tree – one of them had simply shot the other out of suspicion before glancing around the area and making a run for it. Haruhi would much rather asphyxiate than run the risk of being shot.

The side door leading into the kitchen creaked open slowly.

Despite her intentions, Haruhi let out a silent gasp and sucked in another breath, now pressing her hands against her face in an attempt to speed up the process. She dug the heel of her hand against her closed lips until she could feel the edges of her teeth tearing at them from the inside. Mentally, she reprimanded herself for not making a run for it. Now she was stuck.

All was quiet. Then a blond head popped in through the door, scanning the far wall and around the cabinets. The boy slowly stepped foot inside, his head finally swinging her direction.

They stared at each other for a long while as Haruhi's face slowly turned the same shade as the boy's eyes. He seemed not to notice at first, though slowly she could see the gears turning in his mind.

"_Breathe!_" he screeched, flying across the room toward her and tugging at her arms.

Behind them, another boy had entered the kitchen, glasses hiding his eyes from Haruhi. She finally relented and took a breath, though, gazing up into violet eyes full of concern. _Concern for a total stranger_, she mused idly, her eyes never moving.

After a few more moments of silent deliberation, the blond one extended a hand to her, a broad smile nearly blinding her. "I'm Tamaki."

Haruhi blinked up at him, indifference masking her confusion. Momentarily, her gaze slid to the brunette who was lounging against the kitchen counter. He hadn't said a single word yet.

"What about you?" she questioned. There was an edge to her voice that suggested concealed annoyance she didn't wish to convey with her face. It was a lot more than the boy was giving _her_. "Are you two here to kill me? I'd rather you just got it over with."

Tamaki looked hurt at her accusation, his lips around moving as he attempted to conjure the right words to sooth her obvious reluctance to accept their politeness, or rather, _his_ politeness. However, Kyouya beat him to it.

"You haven't presented yourself as a threat just yet. So, no. We're not here to kill you."

Shooting Kyouya a glare, the blond turned back to Haruhi, one of his hands closing around hers. "Forgive him. This is probably frightening, I know, but we aren't here to do you any harm. A beautiful girl like you shouldn't be wandering about on her own, now should she?"

Letting the compliment to her appearance float in one ear and right out the other, Haruhi only shrugged her shoulders. "I've made it this far without help." And then, in a bit fiercer tone, "I don't _need_ help either, if that's what you're implying."

"I'm not.. that's not.." Tamaki stuttered, looking at Haruhi as though he'd just witnessed a puppy being kicked, his eyes forlorn and his mouth drooping at the corners.

"Usually Tamaki here is better with words," Kyouya supplied in the same even voice, betraying none of his emotions, much to Haruhi's irritation, "but you'll have to realize we were almost attacked a few minutes ago."

Was he asking her to give Tamaki a few minutes to recover? What would he do then? Convince her with his words? _Doubtful_.

Haruhi tried to resist as Tamaki's fingers wrapped more tightly around hers as he pulled both of them into a standing position. Still holding the granola bars to her chest with one arm, she absently worked to burn a hole through the nearest wall with her eyes. She probably would have succeeded if the idiot didn't tap her on the chin and ruin her concentration.

Sighing loudly through clamped teeth, the brunette proceeded to turn her narrowed eyes on him instead. _Maybe I can glare a hole straight through his skull._

"Where are you headed?"

"How'd you.." Haruhi trailed off and shook her head lightly, realizing that fighting with them was going to get her nowhere fast. "The next town over. It's about ten miles west from here."

Tamaki seemed excited at this, his wide smile returning to its rightful place. "We're headed there, too! Aren't we, Kyouya?" He tossed Kyouya a smile over his shoulder before looking back at Haruhi.

"That would be correct."

Kyouya's response was lost in the wave of Tamaki's rambling, though. "I told Kyouya you looked like you might be headed in the same direction! It was lucky that zombie didn't get us, but even luckier that we were here to ward it off before it got to you. Would be a sad day if your pretty little head was hurt by one of those monsters," he nearly cried, every emotion that crossed his face only more dramatic than the last.

"Real shame," Haruhi muttered.

"We should probably be on our way. The day is young and we don't want to waste any daylight." Kyouya tapped his watch as he continued to watch the exchange between Haruhi and Tamaki. He was, not surprisingly, the first to make his exit from the house.

Without so much as a warning, the blond tugged at Haruhi's hand, pulling her behind him with little effort. It startled her a bit, though, and a granola bar fell to the ground. Brown eyes watching it hopelessly, she knew the noise of its crash landing had been drowned out by Tamaki's incessant mouth and it would be futile to attempt a rescue mission.

"This is going to be so much fun! What was your name again?"

"Haruhi," she replied, coming back to reality. It felt odd to leave off her last name, but that held little importance in this world. People only needed something to call you by, whether it was authentic or not, because who knew how much time any given person really had left.

"Well, Haruhi, are you ready for a real adventure?"

She frowned, choosing not to reply. This was certainly going to be an _adventure_.

"Would you let go of my hand?!"

* * *

**A/N: Disclaimer that applies to the entire story - I obviously do not own Ouran High School Host Club nor do I own Zombieland. **Other than that, this was just a random idea that popped into my head and I hope you guys enjoy it. I haven't settled on a title yet, and I'm open to suggestions, especially if I haven't figured out a fitting one as the story progresses. This is my first Ouran fanfic, so I hope you guys are a little gentle. Definitely going to be some Haruhi shipping, though not revealing who she might ultimately pick if it comes down to it. ;D Happy reading and leave a review if you feel so kind.


	2. chapter ii

"My feet hurt," Tamaki muttered for the umpteenth time, his normally cheerful expression having disappeared beneath thunderclouds roughly five minutes ago. Admittedly, they'd only been walking for _five minutes_, but Haruhi wasn't about to point that out again. She'd just managed to detach herself from Tamaki and subdue him once more. Kyouya had only watched the entire ordeal with a blank face, his glasses flashing in the sunlight.

The trio trudged onward down the road: Haruhi carried a small sack of food, Tamaki pouted, and Kyouya carried the only gun they had for protection against any rogue zombies. They would have been a sight for sore eyes if anyone else even lived in the area anymore.

Every house looked exactly the same to Haruhi as they passed – red roof, white siding, green shutters. Once in a while, a narrow sliver of grass would break up the area in the center of the road they were walking along, signaling to the girl that this had once been a rather nice neighborhood. Now moss and vines grew up the sides of some houses, tall grass waving absently in various front yards. Somewhere in the distance, there was a dog barking incessantly, its noise more annoying than anything. Haruhi didn't even question how it had survived thus far, only what could be upsetting it so much.

_Probably found some little blond dog that's crying about how much his feet hurt._

Haruhi's gaze slid to the side as she felt eyes on her. _What?_ she questioned silently.

Kyouya shrugged and turned his back on her, picking up the pace a little. He was silent and thoughtful, as she had first assumed, but in a calculating way. Quite honestly, he unnerved her. There was no way to tell what was going on in his mind or even decipher nine out of ten of the emotions that dared to cross his face. Kyouya was a closed book with the key tied to cinderblock at the bottom of an ever-moving ocean. On the other hand, Tamaki seemed to be _very_ open about almost _everything_, but Haruhi knew better than to think she knew very much about either of the boys. They'd just met anyway.

"So what's this place that we're going to like anyway?"

Suspicious brown eyes met curious violet ones. "I thought you were going there, too? Don't you know what it looks like?"

"Funny story.." Tamaki trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as he finally straightened, his brooding mood suddenly forgotten. "I said we were going to the same place so that you'd let us travel with you. It was a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself." A wide grin broke across his face, and Haruhi felt the fight slowly leaving her. Surely she could hold back from being the bearer of bad news just this once.

So she grumbled something under her breath instead.

"It worked," Kyouya pointed out, the beginnings of a smirk forming in the lines of his face before he pushed up his glasses and his expression once again resembled that of an empty sheet of paper. The teenage girl shot him a glare.

Barely any silence had fallen within the group when Tamaki opened his mouth again, questions flooding out in a rush. "Are there lots of houses there? Will we get to meet other people? Is your family there? Is that why you want to go to this town? Is it a town or a city or what? Will they have bathrooms?"

"If you have to go to the bathroom, just go behind a bush or something," she gestured to the nearby shrubbery. It had been clipped into the shapes of various sea creatures but had grown out in odd directions due to negligence.

Tamaki glanced around uncertainly before shaking his head. This prompted something buzzing around Haruhi's brain to return to her immediate attention: the shoes. They had barely caught her attention before, but now she examined them ruthlessly. There was something she couldn't put her finger on.. something about them that seemed to be screaming at her to realize..

"Like my shoes?" _He sure brightened up fast._ "They're my favorite pair."

Haruhi barely listened to Tamaki as he rambled on about his shoes – apparently anything to do with his appearance was a hot topic with the boy; he seemed to be full of endless comments and details and little tidbits that she honestly didn't care for. Then it finally hit her. She'd seen that brand before, and there had never been a price tag clipped to one of those pairs of shoes that she hadn't winced at.

"Where did you say you were from?" The question was open to either of them.

"We didn't," Kyouya replied simply. He seemed a little more guarded than usual, if that was even possible.

"Okay," she plunged onward, "then I'm asking. Where are you from?"

"Would you like an exact address, general area, family name, etcetera?" He seemed to be enjoying this, and for once, Tamaki had shut up long enough to pay attention.

Haruhi narrowed her eyes at him, no amusement evident on her face. "You pick."

"Ootori. That's my family name. Or was, I suppose. Doesn't hold much importance in what's left of this world." His voice held an edge of mirthless humor that caused Haruhi to slump her shoulders a bit. She felt guilty she'd even brought it up to begin with.

"Suoh Tamaki." Haruhi glanced back at Tamaki only to be blinded by his bright smile. He turned it down a few notches and extended a hand. Not sure what to do, the brunette merely blinked at him until he had to take her hand for himself. He placed a light kiss on her knuckles which only caused her to snatch her limb back as fast as was humanly possible.

Family names hadn't exactly provided her with the information she had been seeking – and she was more than certain that Kyouya knew this perfectly well – but she couldn't easily phrase the question that was already perched on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to ask it, but it sounded immature and childish and invasive. Not to mention, entirely too rude to come from her mouth.

"If you're wondering whether we hail from wealthy backgrounds, you would be correct in your assumptions."

Haruhi flinched, her eyes widening immensely as she avoided Kyouya's gaze. _How did he know?_ Instead, the girl looked to Tamaki for a distraction. Fortunately, she was saved by a sudden turn in the road and a curious scene unfolding in front of them.

The tiny group of three had only just reached the more rural areas that the road they were traveling along wound through, and though Haruhi was aware of the fact that rundown farmhouses seemed to be ideal hiding places for zombies in horror movies, she hadn't expected the beings of this encounter to be _human_. No less, _identical_.

Despite her initial shock, the first thing that had really caught her attention was their unconventional method of trying to kill a zombie lest it kill them first. One of the boys was dancing around shouting insults at it while the other stood ready with a knife.

Kyouya raised the gun he'd been holding and took aim. All the warning shouts she could have screamed at the strange boys died in her throat. Squeezing her eyes shut, Haruhi felt a hand on her shoulder as she balled her fists up and curled her arms protectively over her chest, waiting for it to be over. The sound reminded her too much of something else.

_Bang._

There was a silent _thump_ as a body hit the ground. A shiver ran down Haruhi's spine, but she willed herself to open her eyes. Tamaki, usually the most talkative of the trio, seemed to have been stunned into silence. As Haruhi slowly turned to face him, though, he began to cry tears of joy.

"Kaoru! Hikaru! We thought we'd never see you again!" Before she knew it, the blond had bounded over to the two redheads and was smothering them in a giant bearhug. Haruhi turned to Kyouya in a daze, her mind not having enough information to correctly analyze the situation.

"Wha.."

"Those are the Hitachiin twins, Kaoru and Hikaru, as you heard Tamaki shouting. They're our friends from back at school before this whole mess."

"Oh." It was the only thing Haruhi could manage to get out as she watched the three slowly approach them. The twins seemed to be interested in her as she felt their glittering yellow eyes roam her body. They slowly began to circle her like hawks.

"Who's this?" one of the boys asked, his voice closer to her ear than she expected. His warm breath raised goose bumps on her skin.

"Yeah, we don't remember ever seeing her before." It was uncanny how much they sounded alike, yet there was something that told her it wouldn't be impossible to differentiate between the two. If only they'd stop walking around her so that she could get a better look at their faces.

"We found her hiding out all by herself," Tamaki chipped in brightly, his violet eyes twinkling as he winked at her. Haruhi grimaced. "Lucky for little Haruhi here, though, because Kyouya and I were right there to save her when a zombie attacked. Could have been a goner, but we saved her beautiful face from a dreadful death."

"I would have been fine on my own," she muttered, scratching her elbow and glancing at the ground irritably. One of the twins grinned at this, the other following suit shortly after.

"Looks like 'little Haruhi,'" one began.

"Doesn't appreciate the boss' help," the other finished.

Haruhi rolled her eyes, refusing to either accept or deny their claim. Her reaction was answer enough, though. An arm descended on her shoulders, and the brunette turned her head only to feel another arm wrap around her shoulders from the other side. The twins squeezed lightly as she found herself trapped between them, their Cheshire grins aimed at Tamaki, who was watching with a helpless expression.

"Looks like we're going to get along just fine," Hikaru smirked.

"Life just got a little bit more interesting," Kaoru agreed.

* * *

**A/N: **I always try to make chapters longer (and I'm honestly working on it), but the 1000-2000 range seems to be my niche. Anyway, going to apologize now for any OOC-ness exhibited by any of the characters because while I'm trying to keep them in line, this is an AU fic, so they'll be a little different regardless. Plus, Hikaru and Kaoru have joined the story. :'D Wanted to wait a little bit longer, but then they just showed up out of nowhere. *sigh* Looks like I'm going to have fun trying to control them. Thanks for reading and review if you'd like! Criticism is welcome. :)


	3. chapter iii

`` And my heart beats fast,

as I count the miles from the city line ``

_Grace Potter & The Nocturnals – The Divide_

* * *

The twins seemed extremely close by Haruhi's standards – not only that they kept in close proximity to one another, but also as if there was an invisible wall keeping others out. They were friendly around the other two boys, but even as they began to joke around her, they still seemed skeptical. She couldn't tell if Hikaru and Kaoru were fearful or just simply suspicious.

One of them, Hikaru, she noted, eyed her over his shoulder. His expression was neutral, but underneath it, Haruhi could feel a shade of curiosity peeking through the façade and shining in his golden eyes. Even so, she didn't open her mouth; he'd have to address her first if he had something to say.

The group of five trudged on in silence, Tamaki having taken position in the front while Kyouya pulled up the rear. The Hitachiins long strides kept them just ahead of Haruhi. Her gaze slowly wandered out of their small formation as she silently observed the landscape around them. Fields and weed-infested land alike rolled along the side of the road without a care – the crumbling asphalt giving way to waving oceans of grass. She inhaled deeply and smiled slightly at the sweet scent that lingered in her nostrils. It seemed like spring and life and a past she worried she would one day forget.

"What're you looking at?" A voice at her ear startled her, and Haruhi stumbled a little, her footing lost on the loose gravel.

A hand gripped her elbow, but from the opposite side of where she'd heard the voice. The brunette regained her balance before she dared to look up at the twins, who had taken up walking next to her now instead of just in front of her. She frowned, glancing at Hikaru and Kaoru in turn.

"I was just looking around me. It's not that big of a deal."

"You were smiling," Hikaru remarked calmly, finally pulling his hand away from her arm.

"So where were you thinking about?" Kaoru finished the thought with a grin. The girl couldn't decide if it was teasing or gentle or a mix of the two, but somehow, she didn't like it.

Haruhi sighed, her gaze directed at the ground as her hands twisted nervously at her waist. "I was just thinking of my dad. I miss him a lot." She didn't mention her late mother; that was a story for another time, if she ever got to that time and decided it was the right one. Her words seemed to have a silencing effect on the entire group. Kyouya's expression wasn't readable (as usual), but the look she received from Tamaki made her stomach stir uncomfortably. She wasn't accustomed to pity nor did she like the feeling it was giving her. "It's fine, though. Really."

The silence remained.

Haruhi resorted to counting her own footsteps as the gravel turned into weathered asphalt once more. _One. Two. Three. Four. Fi—_

"Want to play a game, Haruhi?"

Brown eyes flicked up to catch yellow ones. There was the same flicker of emotion in Kaoru's eyes that she'd seen in his smile just a few moments ago. It was still a bit unsettling.

"No," she deadpanned, attempting to out-walk the two boys. Haruhi clearly had yet to fully realize their persistence. The Hitachiins didn't accept _no_ as a proper answer.

"Okay, the rules are simple.." The two paused, but Haruhi kept walking, her eyes focused on Tamaki in front of her. Even if the blond – who was leading the way through Kyouya's instruction – decided to stop, she'd keep moving, one step at a time. The redheaded twins weren't going to pull her into their silly games when the sun was already starting to set on the horizon, its light dying and the foreboding colors of night playing across the sky.

"Hey, wait up!"

A hand closed around her wrist and Haruhi spun only to find herself face-to-face with Hikaru, his eyes narrowed on her. "Just play," he said, nicer than she'd expected, "one game is all we ask."

Stepping back, Hikaru wrapped his arm around Kaoru and grinned wickedly at his brother, satisfaction already creeping into his expression though the game hadn't even begun yet. "So, Haruhi, all you have to do is tell us which one is Hikaru and which one is Kaoru."

"No catch?" she asked, a single eyebrow arched.

"No catch."

"You're Hikaru," she pointed to the left, "and you're Kaoru." Her finger twitched to the right, a smirk twisting on her lips as she waited for their reaction.

"You're wrong. She couldn't even guess which is which, Hikaru. How disappointing."

Haruhi clenched her jaw for a moment before lifting a hand to rub her temples. She could see Kyouya watching her curiously over the twins' shoulders, and she was nearly positive that the burning sensation on the back of her neck was the result of Tamaki staring at her for too long. "I don't know why you're calling Kaoru 'Hikaru,' but you're giving me a headache."

She sucked in a breath as time seemed to stand still – each of the boys was looking at her like she'd just announced she was a professional elephant juggler.

"Shouldn't we get going? It's almost dark, and we haven't spotted anything all day, which is probably bad luck for tonight." Haruhi swayed a little on her feet before turning west once more and continuing down the road, leaving behind a group of gob-smacked teenage boys.

"Damn," Hikaru muttered, reluctantly stepping forward to follow the girl.

"You guys sure know how to pick 'em," Kaoru whistled between his teeth, soft yellow eyes flickering from Tamaki to Kyouya before he set off after Haruhi as well.

* * *

Each step she took, each foot she placed in front of her, Haruhi felt more lost. After the encounter with the twins, she'd completely lost track of how far they'd traveled. It made her want to scratch her head until the information returned, but it was too far gone now. Each step also took time, and at the current moment, time was not on her side. The sun was dipping beneath the horizon, its lowest point already shimmying along the distant treeline. Haruhi tensed.

"I think I'm just going to, uh, find somewhere to stay. Thank you for walking with me." The brunette bowed quickly out of respect and made a beeline for the nearest lane – the rutted drive promising lodging to anyone who bothered to travel down it.

Of course, she wasn't about to get away with a stunt like that when Tamaki was around.

The blond swiveled from his spot ahead of her, his hands instantly reaching out after her retreating body. "Hey!" He paused as she disappeared under the shade of a few trees. A few seconds later and a flashlight had flickered to life, the body of its holder illuminated in the pale blue light. "We're coming with you!" he hollered, though Haruhi didn't bother to turn around and acknowledge his shout.

Blinking at each other in mild confusion, the other three boys followed Tamaki as he jogged after the girl. She was a complete and total stranger, but somehow she'd managed to attract the attention of all of them, though for different reasons. Most surprisingly, the twins still couldn't figure out how she'd been able to tell Hikaru from Kaoru and vice versa. It just didn't make sense. There was something about her, and none of the boys could explain their reasoning any further than that.

Haruhi stumbled along, her feet pounding on the ground faster and faster as she heard Tamaki catching up from behind. She wasn't about to be trapped into some kind of service to those boys – kept around only to be given up as zombie bait when the time was right. Wisps of hair flew into her face and blocked her vision as she found herself in a dead sprint. The flashlight bounced around wildly like a strobe light as she ran, her heart thundering in her chest as she drew in heavy breaths. _Just a little bit further._

The house was dark – shadows and cobwebs strung themselves from the rafters like Christmas lights. It was a haunting kind of décor, and a shiver ran down Haruhi's spine. She stopped and stared at it with an open mouth, afraid to step any closer on her own.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder and she swung around so fast that her flashlight hit Hikaru in the head. Kaoru was right at his side, his expression slightly angered, though it was more pained than anything. Tamaki seemed to have snuck around her somehow and was standing just in front of her.

Haruhi glanced at the small gash on Hikaru's forehead, her eyebrows pulling together in concentration. "I'm so sorry."

"Maybe if you hadn't been swinging that thing around," he bit out angrily, his eyes gleaming a bright yellow in the moonlight. It was both irritating and frightening.

"I said I was sorry. Maybe you shouldn't have snuck up on me like that," she snapped back, normally wide eyes narrowing to slits. "I didn't ask for any of you to come with me." Haruhi motioned to the rest of the group. Most importantly, she jabbed a finger in Tamaki's direction, her nail nearly pressing into his chest because he was standing so close. No words came out of her mouth, though. All she could do was set her lips in a straight line and glare at him.

After a moment or so of this, Haruhi turned on her heel and switched her flashlight back on. She lifted her head high and padded across the silent front yard to the aged porch. The wooden columns supporting the overhang looked like they might give up soon, but she swallowed her fears and trudged onward anyway.

Just as her fingertips brushed the doorknob, she felt a presence behind her.

"Do you think it's safe?"

Haruhi exhaled loudly. Much to her immediate annoyance, Tamaki had followed her up to the front door, his curiosity and displeasure at the thought of her imminent doom surely having propelled him across the yard after her. The brunette pushed a finger to her temple.

"I don't know," she replied honestly, shaking her head. "We're about to find out, though."

Sucking in a breath, Haruhi glanced over her shoulder at the blond, vaguely noticing that the rest of the group was ambling through the tall grass toward them. "Ready?" Tamaki nodded sharply once, and she took that as her signal to turn the knob and push the door open.

A soft _creeeak_ floated on the air as the rusty door hinges experienced their first use in a long time. Haruhi let out a breath she'd been holding as she shined the light on various objects in the front hall. It was small but with a fairly open concept – each room was connected to the next one over by an archway and it was almost possible to look through the entire house just by standing at the door. The stairway was a different story. It stood ominously in the center, heavy shadows clinging to the top steps.

"_Home Sweet Home_," Kyouya deadpanned as he read the worn rug beneath his feet. It certainly didn't feel like a home, much less a sweet one, to Haruhi.

"Maybe if we just give it a chance it won't be so bad," Kaoru shrugged, his practicality somewhat irritating to Haruhi, though she blamed it on a lack of sleep and a real meal. "Besides, we live in a world where zombies coexist with humans. A creepy house doesn't even compare."

"Our lives resemble a horror movie," Hikaru snickered, his injury nearly forgotten as he stepped forward to run his fingers along the dusty bannister. "So who wants to be the first to go upstairs?"

All eyes seemed to land on Haruhi and she shrunk back against the wall, raising her hands in defense. "Does that really sound like a good idea to you guys? Send the girl up first?"

None of them seemed to rise to the challenge. Kyouya even nudged her forward from behind, proffering an extra set of batteries in case her flashlight died in the process. Haruhi frowned, swiping the batteries out of his hand and shoving them into her pocket, brown eyes flashing defiantly.

"Fine. I'll be the only brave one around here."

Admittedly, her heart was pounding at a hundred miles a minute as she ascended the staircase. Every sound she heard startled her, and she was sure that if something attacked her now, at this very moment, that she'd be a goner. _Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. I wouldn't have to be afraid of dead people waiting around every corner, ready to eat me. God, if there was just a light switch somewhere._

Her footfalls were precise and placed just within the sphere of light that was allowing her to see. She was weary of the idea of objects flying out at her, but the thought of a zombie making it all the way up this stairway was starting to make her wonder. Could one of those things actually manage the steps and sit out up here long enough without anybody to snack on? Haruhi was beginning to doubt that theory, and that calmed her a bit.

It was awfully silent behind her as she knocked on the first door, her knuckles leaving two distinct, hollow beats on the door before she fiddled with the knob. With just the right amount of jiggling, the door swung open to reveal a bedroom with a large bay window that overlooked the yard.

A smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she observed the soft-looking comforter and the stuffed pillows. Everything looked heavenly after a day of walking.

Haruhi looked over her shoulder at the dark upstairs hall, contemplating whether or not she should alert the boys that it was safe to come up, even if she'd only entered one room. The only inhabitants seemed to be a few spiders, but they were hardly any bother. Her brown eyes traveled once more to the large bed and she made her decision.

_They've caused me enough trouble; I'm going to sleep._

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**A/N: **This is a bit of a filler chapter, and a boring one (at least I think so) at that, but hopefully more exciting things will happen in the next one. ;D Also, toying with placing in lyrics every few chapters from the song that inspired the title. :) Hopefully this isn't too disappointing a chapter! lol.

Also, thank you to the three that left reviews! I found some errors myself (because I'm OCD and read through to check lolol) but I'm glad they weren't distracting from the storyline! :) Aside from that, thanks for the review and follow from one _HiddenFirst_ as well. I appreciate it. n_n Read and Review if you feel so kind ~


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